Taoism

Taoism research papers can be written on any aspect of the religion that you need studied. From the history, belief system, current state of practice or any other Taoist concept, Paper masters will custom write your research paper on Taoism today.

The disintegration of the Han dynasty led to a culturally unstable period for China. During the period of the Three Kingdoms and Six dynasties, its fragmented state contributed to the gradual disintegration of its national and cultural identities. At the same time, China's intellectual tradition of classical scholarship was diminishing. This period served as fertile ground for a burgeoning interest in Taoism among the country's scholars as well as the masses.

Taoism revolves around the following fundamental tenants:

1. The study of the Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu
2. The incorporation the elements of religion, aesthetics and metaphysics.
3. The concept of Wu

A key concept of Taoism is wu, which in the literal sense means nonexistence, however the term wu was not interpreted by the Taoist as the condition of absolute or complete nothingness. Rather, it was the condition of "pure being, which transcends forms and names and accomplishes everything".

The concept of nonexistence did not confine the Taoist to an exclusionary life. The fact that the Taoist often participated in the pursuit of social and political achievements supports this interpretation however the Taoist was still responsible for cultivating such achievements through wu-wei or non-action.

Taoism is a rather abstract and elliptical philosophy and is often difficult to comprehend, considering its ambiguous terms and definitions. In essence, Taoism charges that all things in combination with living beings make up nature. The Chuang Tzu first addressed the concept and terms of nature and an understanding of the term must be approached in an almost roundabout way.

It is important to note that the Tao ascribes that "things are what they are spontaneously and not caused by something else". From that explication it is easier to understand the concept of nonexistence as a condition of non-being. Non-being, according to Tao, does not produce being. Even more clearly, it cannot produce being.

In effect, "being" itself is not produced and, like non-being, it cannot produce other beings. For the Taoist, things simply produce themselves - they are not produced by being because being cannot produce things. A difficult concept, to be sure, however it forms the basis of what the Taoi calls nature. "All things are what they are by nature and not by action. In the same way, being is self-existent and natural.

The Tao definition of nature is not unlike that of many religious philosophies that define the origin of being as having no beginning and no end. The interpretation of Chuang Tzu elucidates on the definition by suggesting that it is impossible for both non-being to be transformed into being and for being to be changed into non-being. This calls into question just what existed before there were things - a question posed and answered by almost all religious philosophies.